Met launch a new way for Londoners to hear about neighbourhood policing

A new way for Londoners to hear about policing in their area is being rolled out, starting in south-west London.

Local officers in the south-west of the capital will lead the way, using ‘Met Engage’ - a subscription email service - to provide their communities with crime prevention advice, updates on ongoing incidents and investigations, and information about successful outcomes and operations.

Neighbourhood policing is at the forefront of the Met’s work to deliver on their ambition for more trust, less crime and high standards.

Communities have told the Met they want to, be more connected to their local policing teams and the Met is now asking people in – Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth to sign up for Met Engage here.

People who sign up will be asked to complete a survey, where they’ll be able to select where they live and choose the type of alerts they’d like to be informed about. This means the messages they receive will be specifically tailored to them.

Superintendent Josh Laughton, the Met’s local policing lead in south-west London, said:

“The Met is placing communities at the heart of everything it does by putting more officers into neighbourhood policing to focus on the issues that matter most to Londoners.

“Launching Met Engage is an exciting new way for our neighbourhood officers to keep people updated on what’s going on in their area.

“It will become the place for residents to get reliable information directly from officers who are out in their neighbourhood, whilst also giving the opportunity for people to raise their concerns and have their say. I’d encourage anyone who lives in the pilot area to sign up to Met Engage, so we can work together to keep London safe.”

Met Engage will be a key part of the Met’s community-first approach, by providing a platform to raise concerns, while also being kept updated on the issues that matter most to them in their local area.

The system is provided by VISAV Limited, a company that has produced similar products for other police forces across the UK.

While Met Engage will provide opportunities for the public to highlight issues, it is not a crime reporting tool and will not replace all the existing methods of reporting crime including the Met website, dialling 101 or calling 999 in an emergency.